THE EFFECTS OF TROGLITAZONE AND EGCG ON PANC-1 CELL SURVIVAL

摘要

There is less than a thirty percent survival rate for patients with a localized pancreatic tumor, and less than a ten percentsurvival rate for patients with metastases. Troglitazone administered at doses of 10 μM have been reported in the literature toactivate the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPARγ) which can result in growth inhibition, cellular differentiationand cellular apoptosis. Epigallacto-catechan (EGCG) is a polyphenolic antioxidant that has been shown to increase theAMPK pathway that increases cellular apoptosis. The objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of EGCGwith a clinical dose of troglitazone (10μM) in reducing the survival of a pancreatic like cell line in culture. PANC-1 cellswere plated onto three 24 well plates at a density of 1 x 106 cells per well. The experimental design consisted of four equalgroups: Group 1 served as the control and groups 2-4 were treated with troglitazone, (EGCG) or troglitazone and EGCG,respectively. Biochemical and morphological evaluations were conducted following standard lab protocols. Results of thisstudy show 10μM of troglitazone was able to alter cell growth and proliferation after 24 and 72 hours, while 50μM of EGCGalone or in combination with troglitazone was capable of reducing cell density and cellular protein levels at 48 and 72 hoursfollowing treatment. The results show that troglitazone and EGCG induced changes in cellular morphology which arecharacteristic of apoptosis. Overall, additional studies are needed to determine the effects of troglitazone on the PPARγmechanism as well as the effects of EGCG on AMPK and ATM pathways that are responsible in normal cellular apoptoticprocesses.